They Love German Beer and Canadian Bacon!

Elisabeth Volino went to Germany several years ago and was invited to attend the 120th year jubilee of Erdinger Breweries. 4,000 fans of Erdinger beer from all over the world congregated and celebrated their favourite beer inside a massive tent. When she returned to Toronto, she decided to start her own Erdinger Fan Club, and so the Backbacon and Beer Social Club was born. ‘Backbacon’ was chosen because the members definitely wanted their name to ring Canadian! The club now has about 60 members, and Erdinger Brewery supplies them all with matching caps and t-shirts.

The group meets every six weeks to enjoy food, the camaraderie of friends, and beer of course. Some members of the group also spend time on the golf course together. About half of the members are retired and many travel to Toronto from nearby towns, including the president, Rolf Otte, who makes the trip from Wasaga Beach.

In 2009, as they were planning their Christmas Party, one of the members, Dave Pollett, thought the $10 they had each been spending on ‘Secret Santa’ gifts could be better used as a group donation to a cause they all felt was important. They agreed that ‘cancer’ had affected almost everyone’s family, and so decided to make Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation the recipient of the $500 they collected. In 2010, they continued their support of The Princess Margaret with another generous gift.

While most of the members have not visited Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, they know about the important research going on there. Elisabeth says that “we all know that it is research that is needed to put an end to cancer.”